


For Want of a Friend

by Star_Going_Supernova



Category: Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt, Eventual Comfort, Gen, Maddie is having a bad time in this first chapter, Momthra, also played up the sense of family between Maddie and the main adults, i made Emma Russel kinda neglectful in this oops, significantly more angst than intended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_Supernova
Summary: Five Times Maddie Snuck in to Sit with Mothra’s Egg Before She Hatched, and the One Time There was No Sneaking InvolvedOne evening, when she was wandering around with a chapter book to read, looking for a good place to settle down without being bothered, Maddie found a tunnel. Asecrettunnel.
Relationships: Mothra & Madison Russell
Comments: 195
Kudos: 239





	1. Five Times

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by the phrase “for want of a nail,” which basically (if you’re not familiar with it) refers to a story in which one small change has a ripple effect, resulting in massive changes. It’s a fun trope, in my humble opinion.
> 
> But anyway! This fic has been a long time coming, and I’m very excited to finally share it!

_**Five Times Maddie Snuck in to Sit with Mothra's Egg Before She**_ **_Hatched…_ **

**Eight**

Madison Russell had visited Outpost 61 before, but never for very long—and back then, she’d always had Andrew to play with.

Andrew was gone, now. She still found herself turning, her mouth open to speak, before remembering he wouldn’t be standing next to her.

She’d turned eight only a few months ago, and it was afterwards that everything had changed. Mom and Dad had finally stopped shouting a lot, but only because they’d gone their separate ways. Maddie knew her dad loved her, but he’d still chosen to leave her. She didn’t like talking about it.

Aunt Vivienne had cared more about Mom’s decision to move to Outpost 61 than Dad did. She’d argued long and hard about how Maddie shouldn’t be isolated like that, how she should have the opportunity to go to school and make friends and not have only Monarch scientists for company.

Mom hadn’t listened. The lines around Aunt Vivienne’s face when she’d said goodbye to Maddie had been tight. She’d given her a long hug, cupped Maddie’s small face in her hands, and whispered, “If you ever need anything, my dear, call me.” Back then, she’d nodded and promised, but Mom told her that Aunt Vivienne was very busy and very important to Monarch.

(Maddie hadn’t called, no matter how much she wanted to.)

So, once she was eight, and a big girl, they stayed in Boston for a month and a half before coming here, to Outpost 61.

Her mom was busy building something, something that had all the scientists at the base really excited. And she was _always_ working on it. But since Maddie was a big girl now, she didn’t complain. She could take care of herself, after all.

Maddie could pull a chair up to the counter to use the microwave and toaster oven—she rarely burned things anymore, and she had learned the hard way how best to avoid burning herself—and she knew how to clean up after herself, and she was good at remembering to make sure the front door was locked at night.

Sometimes, when she made the coffee right, Mom would even smile at her and tell her how proud she was that Maddie was so strong.

But whether she could heat up her waffles and chicken nuggets wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she didn’t have anyone to play with or even talk to, and reading her mom’s notes and books could only hold her interest for so long.

And the quiet was driving her crazy, too.

The hours they spent at the actual base, not just in their little house down the road, were long and growing longer. More and more often, Maddie found herself curling up on a couch in one of the lounges only to be shaken awake hours later by some tired-eyed tech.

One evening, when she was wandering around with a chapter book to read, looking for a good place to settle down without being bothered, Maddie found a tunnel. A _secret_ tunnel.

She’d found little passages in the temple before, but most were obvious enough for even the busy adults to know about.

But this one—if she hadn’t quite literally stumbled upon it, she never would’ve noticed it was even there. She crawled through the small passage, excitedly imagining telling her mom and being praised for finding it. The stone blocks at the other end of the tunnel moved aside like magic the moment she touched a brick with a funny marking. She poked her head out of the hole and gasped.

She was in the chamber with the egg. She’d never been allowed so close before. Her mom said they didn’t know if it was safe, and Dr. Tim would gently tell her that maybe she could see it when she was older. But Maddie suspected they just didn’t want her around ’cause she was a kid.

Oh, there was no _way_ she would tell anyone about the secret tunnel now.

The best part was that the tunnel opened among the rough terrain in the back of the chamber. The enormous egg blocked Maddie from the cameras, the catwalks, and the scientists. No one would be able to see her.

Very slowly, she made her way across the lumpy stone ground and up to the pulsing egg. She couldn’t hear anyone on the other side, probably because it was late enough for most of the base’s employees to have gone home.

Maddie reached out and smoothed her palm across the egg’s surface. It was warm, and its texture was somehow both silky and a little slimy. A faint blue-green glow flared every few seconds, like a heartbeat.

“Hi,” Maddie whispered. She’d have to sneak into her mom’s notes to find out if the egg had a name, but she still introduced herself. “I’m Maddie.”

The egg, predictably, did not respond.

Maddie sat down on a nicely rounded boulder and leaned back against the egg. It felt like a big pillow that she could sink into, and it provided light in the dark, misty chamber.

She opened her book to where she’d left off, but hesitated. You were supposed to talk to babies before they were born, right? Maybe the little Titan in the egg would want to hear the story. Having only read the first chapter and a half, Maddie had no qualms about flipping back to the beginning.

“It’s called _A Wrinkle in Time_ ,” she said quietly—just in case there was someone nearby; she didn’t want to get caught because she talked too loudly. “I like it so far.”

The pretty blue light flared again as Maddie began to read.

• • • 

**Nine**

Maddie curled up against Mothra’s egg and dug her fingertips into her legs. They’d come to the base earlier than normal because her mom was upset and wanted to bury herself in her project. But Maddie was upset too, and what was she expected to do about it?

“Just stay quiet and don’t bother anyone,” she whispered angrily, repeating her mother’s words. It wasn’t her fault she’d been dragged out of bed and forced to skip breakfast. It wasn’t her fault she’d cried a little when she remembered what day it was. It wasn’t her fault her mom hadn’t slept well and been cranky enough to lose her temper.

“It’s Andrew’s fourteenth birthday,” she explained. “He would’ve been a big kid, a real one. He wouldn’t have annoyed Mom.” She brushed a hot tear off her cheek.

The egg pulsed a little faster, as much of a reaction Maddie was going to get. The spot she was leaning against, though, warmed a little more. Maddie was used to such changes in Mothra’s egg after months of carefully paying attention.

“I miss him.”

What Maddie really wanted right then was her brother. Second to him, Aunt Vivienne. She’d finally decided to make a call, desperate for conversation that wasn’t coming from anyone else. Aunt Viv had been so happy to speak with her, she’d lost the guilt over disturbing her and they secretly video-chatted once every two weeks.

But Maddie couldn’t have either of them. She hadn’t spoken with her dad in months and Mom never had time for her anymore. It was kinda silly, but the only one in the base who Maddie didn’t feel like a bother to was the unhatched Mothra.

She really, really hoped she wasn’t bothering the Titan with her frequent visits. It was just so lonely sometimes, and so nice to have someone who couldn’t roll their eyes when they thought she wasn’t looking.

Mothra didn’t—couldn’t—complain while Maddie mourned her brother. And she certainly didn’t tell her to stop crying or begrudge her her tears. It also wasn’t a hug, which is what Maddie would have asked for if she could’ve, but the softness of the shell cradled her well enough.

Choked with sporadic bouts of sobs, Maddie whispered about her memories of her brother, those she held closest to her heart, like each was a precious secret. And even though it was just an egg, she couldn’t help but feel like her every word was being heard. The blue light, so clearly centered around her crumpled body, was enough of a promise to keep those memories close in turn.

If nothing else, at least Andrew’s memory would live on in the heart of a Titan.

• • •

**Ten**

Maddie snuck a second piece of store-bought cake long after the ‘party’ had ended. It hadn’t been a bad birthday, all things considered, but she was glad the day was over. The best part was getting to talk to Aunt Viv for a long time _without_ having to be careful about not being caught. She’d even reintroduced her to Dr. Serizawa, since the first time they’d technically met had been so long ago, Maddie barely remembered it.

He’d been a lot of fun to talk to, and if Maddie understood the sneaky smile on Aunt Viv’s face, she’d probably make sure he was able to join them during their secret video-chats, which they still continued, even after so long. Maddie wouldn’t mind at all—he was passionate about the Titans, but in a different way than her mom.

As a late present of sorts, both Dr. Ilene and Dr. Ling would visit the base later in the week. She only hoped they wouldn’t be too busy with the adults to spend time with her.

No matter how used to the quiet and solitude she’d gotten, Maddie would never enjoy it. The prospect of having two whole someones to simply _exist_ around was an exciting one. And she missed them. They’d both always been very nice and patient with her and Andrew.

It was rare for kids to find themselves left to their own devices in various Monarch facilities, but since the sisters had once been in the same position themselves, they’d known all the best things to do to keep busy and have fun without getting in anyone’s way. It’d be nice to have them around again.

But that was something to look forward to later. For now, Maddie creeped through the halls to her secret tunnel, ducking into it once she was sure the coast was clear. Maneuvering through it with a slice of cake was a challenge, but she was determined and wouldn’t let something like that stop her.

Finally, knowing it’d be hours before anyone even started looking for her, Maddie settled in her customary spot against Mothra’s egg. She talked as she ate, retelling the events of the day.

“I’m ten now,” she finished with. “Double digits.” She fiddled with her fork, tapping it against the edge of the paper plate. “And I’ll have been here for two years soon.”

Maddie wondered what other kids her age were doing. She hadn’t left the confines of the outpost since they arrived. Her schooling was a program on her tablet, but between being able to go at her own pace and having little else to do most of the time, the program’s statistics told her she was ahead of her similarly-aged peers.

“I’ve been having nightmares,” she suddenly blurted out. It wasn’t something she’d even told her mom. “In some of ’em, I’m trapped someplace, and no matter which hallways I go down or what doors I open, I can’t leave. I just run and run and I’m always alone.”

The egg pulsed. Maddie snorted and pushed the empty plate away. “Don’t really need to guess what that one’s about, huh?”

It wasn’t that she was actually _afraid_ she’d never be able to the outpost, but… the rest of the world felt so far away. And maybe it was more like she was afraid she’d never be _allowed_ to leave. Being kept someplace against your wishes sucked.

She closed her eyes and sighed, letting the soft egg take her weight. She had nearly drifted off in the warm silence when she muttered quietly, “Thanks for keepin’ me from going totally crazy, Mothra.”

• • •

**Eleven**

“Maddie!”

Her mom’s voice echoed around the stone hallway as she ran away. Luckily, there was no one in sight at the secret tunnel’s entrance, and she was able to vanish into it with no one the wiser. Dashing tears from her eyes, Maddie quickly crawled to the other end and tumbled into the cavern.

It was only midday, so there were people on the other side of Mothra’s egg from her, but Maddie had long since mastered a silent scramble across the rocks into a convenient shadow cast by one of the larger boulders.

She pressed her forehead against the egg’s squishy shell and barely managed to keep from sobbing aloud. Of all days to be discovered, this would be the worst. Maddie’s shoulders shook. The taste of blood flooded her mouth when she harshly bit down on her lip. The hurt in her chest built up until she pounded the sides of her clenched fists against the boulder.

If it made any noise, she didn’t hear it past the sound of her own racing heartbeat. No one else in the room reacted, leaving Maddie’s frustration unnoticed.

There was no telling how long she sat like that, as her legs went numb and her stuttering breaths evened out. The low murmur of voices and equipment on the other side of the chamber dropped off, leaving her alone with Mothra’s egg. Only when Maddie was sure there was no one else who could hear her did she speak.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “I didn’t mean to—to just come barging in. I didn’t… I was…” Maddie sniffled and leaned back to use the hem of her shirt to wipe at her cheeks and nose. “It was stupid. _I_ was stupid.”

She curled up, small as she could, and examined the irritated scrapes on the sides of her hands. They stung. Little beads of blood welled up in a few places.

“I got mad at my mom,” she explained. “I asked if she’d thought any more about letting me go stay with Aunt Viv for a while. You remember? I brought it up a week ago and she said she’d have to think about it.”

Maddie smeared one of the droplets of blood across her skin, leaving a reddish-orange streak behind. A new drop immediately began forming in its place. “She said she forgot. And… I guess I would’ve been fine with that—or at least, understood—but then, she added that she had more important things to think about. That she didn’t have time to worry about… unimportant things.”

_“And you shouldn’t bother Vivienne anyways,” her mom continued. Maddie opened her mouth, the words, “Having me around is a bother? Talking to me is a bother?” on the tip of her tongue, but instead, what came out was—_

“I got mad, and I—I asked her if the ORCA was more important to her than I am, and I shouldn’t have, I know I shouldn’t have, but she—she hesitated! She hesitated, and then she didn’t even really answer at all, so I, I left. I ran away because I couldn’t… I just…”

Maddie wanted to scream in that moment as the past few years worth of isolation and frustration and everything else she’d ever bottled up—and considering her go-to sympathetic ear was an _egg,_ Maddie knew there was a lot of that—seemed to simmer just beneath the surface of her fraying control.

“I thought I could handle it,” she cried quietly. “I wanted to be able to handle it.”

She didn’t want to be a burden or a bother. It wasn’t enough though, to be able to make her own meals or keep herself occupied while her mom was busy. The short visits with Ilene and Ling, the video calls with Aunt Viv and Dr. Serizawa, even Rick’s weird and infrequent emails that always included security footage from Castle Bravo—where Maddie _desperately_ wanted to be, so desperately it almost _hurt_ —of silly things he’d caught people doing… none of it was _enough_ anymore.

Maddie was eleven years old and knew with painful clarity what it felt like to shrink in on yourself even as you acted as if nothing was wrong. She had reached her limit, and now that she had, she had no idea what to do.

• • •

**Twelve**

Maddie sat in the quiet chamber, for once not leaning against the egg. She silently stared down at her hands, thinking about the things her mom and select others had taught her to do with them. She could pick locks and hot-wire cars and break noses and pull apart an array of weapons just to put them back together; she knew how to use those same weapons. She could dig up edible plants and catch fish in a lazy stream and weave branches together to form a shelter.

She could survive, all on her own. That was the plan.

Almost from the beginning, when her mom had sat her down after Maddie had questioned her importance compared to the ORCA to explain everything, Maddie had hated it. _The plan_.

It was only a year ago. Less than a year, even. But she had learned a lot in that time. Mostly, she learned she didn’t like the people her mom was working with, the people who helped teach Maddie.

She didn’t want to question her mom—she’d been taught not to—but with every day that passed with her sitting in the unhatched Mothra’s company, her obedient faith wavered. Harmony and restoration as goals were all well and good, but there were so many uncontrollable variables.

If her mom was to be believed, the ORCA removed those variables. Maybe Maddie would’ve trusted her, once upon a time, but as she traced over the delicate petals of a tiny flower growing in a dark cave with no soil, she found herself unable to accept that.

“We don’t need to control anything,” Maddie finally whispered. She was surrounded by life where there should have been none, flowers and vines, tiny patches of color amidst the dark rock. “You make things better just by existing. You don’t need us to… to _command_ you.”

Only after destruction could new life begin? Bull. Maddie was looking at new life where no destruction had taken place.

If Maddie were braver, she’d protest the plan. She’d stop her mom. She’d keep her from using the ORCA to control the Titans.

But Maddie had been fading for a long time now. It felt like everything was falling apart the closer they got to enacting _the plan._ Like she was falling apart. She was so _tired_.

“Please hurry,” Maddie said, looking up to the egg that was only a fraction of the size Mothra would someday be. “I can’t do this on my own. I can’t…”

If Maddie were braver, she would tell someone. But with her word against her mom’s in the company of people who admired and trusted Dr. Russell beyond all doubt, who would believe her?

Mothra’s egg pulsed blue and faintly hummed. It was some of her most wishful thinking, but as Maddie got up to move closer, to press against the egg like it was the only thing tethering her to stable ground, she hoped Mothra was listening. Listening, and wanting to help.

How many times in the past had Maddie whispered into the chamber’s trembling quiet, _I wish Andrew were alive_ or _I wish Dad hadn’t left,_ two of her most secret thoughts? But now, knowing and dreading what was coming, she could only breathe, “I wish you were here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No matter how strong Maddie is, she’s still just a kid, and I can’t imagine any kid would handle years of isolation and neglect well. I usually write Emma as not a completely bad person, but oof, not this time. Don’t worry, tho! Mothra to the rescue next chapter!
> 
> [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com)


	2. One Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Long time no see. But it's done, at long last!! (please don't pay attention to the timeline, i can't keep track of the different time zones)
> 
> Also! The people have spoken! All those months ago, after I asked whether you guys would want Maddie to be able to communicate with Mothra, the response was overwhelmingly positive! 
> 
> Thank you for patience!! Hope you guys enjoy!

**_And the One Time There was No Sneaking Involved_ ** __

Maddie could only stare in awe as Mothra finally _finally_ hatched. Years of sitting by her egg, of talking to a Titan who probably couldn’t even hear her, of an anticipation full of both excitement and dread—and the wait was over.

She was huge, even just as a larva, and her eyes were as blue as the pulse that had glowed from the center of the egg. Maddie knew she would never forget those first moments, watching the Titan unfold.

And then the containment beams went up. And then Mothra got angry. And then people, people with guns and access to _termination protocols,_ panicked.

Mothra raged on the other side of the glass, and after only the slightest hesitation, Maddie snatched her distracted mother’s access badge and slipped into the cavern. It was stupid of her, it was _so_ stupid of her and she could hear her mom and the other scientists yelling for her to get out, but—Mothra, unintentionally and perhaps unwilling, had been the only solid, constant presence Maddie had had to lean on since being brought to Outpost 61.

“Please stop,” she cried, widening her stance on the shaking central catwalk. Maddie raised a hand in a frozen wave, reaching and consoling in equal measures. “It’s okay! Please, I can’t watch them hurt you!”

Amidst the screaming and the alarms and the angry Titan, Maddie’s small, human voice should’ve gone unheard. Instead, Mothra seemed to slow for a moment before stilling entirely. She wiggled in place and carefully turned to look down at the young girl.

• • • 

A voice, familiar and upset, broke through the chaos. Mothra stopped moving, trying to place it. She’d heard many humans speaking since her egg had been discovered, but they brought no powerful feelings to mind. They had chattered on about her progress, about measurements and readings and all manner of clinical things. But this young voice sparked a fondness in her.

Ignoring all else, Mothra twisted around in the direction of that desperate plea. A single solitary human stood on the broken path, similarly ignoring the mayhem around them. And though she had not been capable of sight while in her egg, the sense of this child was immediately familiar, just as her voice.

This was the little creature who had crept right up to her egg one day, many seasons ago, and quietly wove a tale of wonder. Maddie, she had called herself. Maddie, the frequent visitor who never hesitated to lean against Mothra’s egg and speak as though on equal grounds. The girl who so often had radiated grief and loneliness—and yet had still come day after day, blooming with happiness at the mere sight an unchanging, unresponsive egg.

Mothra trilled and slowly bent forward. _Little Maddie,_ she cooed, _my little Maddie._

The girl came to her without fear, unlike those others who had fled. Gently, as if she could possibly hurt Mothra if she wasn’t careful, Maddie reached out and let her palms settle against Mothra’s soft face.

“Hi,” she whispered, near glowing with awe and joy and a child’s love. She looked into Mothra’s eyes and her smile was the greatest welcome Mothra could’ve asked for. “You’re here, you’re really here.”

 _Yes,_ Mothra responded, suddenly remembering the the child’s worries. _My child, I am here. You are not alone_.

She lifted her head to peer over her little human, zeroing in on the jaw-dropped scientists huddled behind a sheet of glass. One of them was likely Maddie’s mother, the mother who had neglected her so much as to send the girl looking for comfort and companionship from an egg.

Mothra screeched, making sure to spit a tangled mass of silk at the door. Let them try and take the child whom they had all but given up.

Bits of the oh-so-dreaded plan had slipped out of Maddie over time, enough for Mothra to know where it began: with that awful three-headed interloper. Well, not if she had anything to say about it.

Different alarms started blaring, and something new sent the base’s employees into fresh panic. Mothra didn’t allow herself to be distracted. Careful nudging convinced Maddie to follow her as she made her escape—after all, the temple’s secret passages were hardly limited to humans.

It was a testament, Mothra thought, to the weak connection between Maddie and the rest, when the child didn’t so much as glance backwards once.

• • • 

Everything after that sort of passed in a blur for Maddie. Still a little in shock about the dramatic turn today had taken, and about how she’d managed to mess her mom’s plan up without even trying, Maddie could only shuffle along a pitch-black tunnel behind Mothra, the Titan’s faint glow lighting the way just enough to keep her from tripping.

The clamor from the outpost had long been left behind. Whatever alarms had been going off were only a distant, echoing memory in her ears. Or maybe that was just her heart pounding heavily in her chest as a result of an odd mix of adrenaline, happiness, and disbelief.

No matter how much she might’ve wished for Mothra to hatch and magically make everything better, Maddie had been realistic enough to realize it probably wouldn’t happen. And yet, here they were.

Maddie had no idea how far from the main temple they were when Mothra stopped. What little she could see of her surroundings looked like a large cave, and though she couldn’t see an exit besides the one they’d come through, she could feel a slight breeze brushing past her. This must’ve been made as Mothra’s intended way out.

Small waterfalls dotting the curved walls created an incredibly peaceful atmosphere. Even the darkness here felt warm and inviting.

Maddie looked up at Mothra, curious about what she had planned.

She would never be entirely sure what happened, just that an overwhelmingly tired feeling swept through her, and it suddenly felt exhausting just to stay on her own two feet. Mothra’s eyes were bright, her clicking chitter hypnotic, and the rocky ground suddenly didn’t sound so uncomfortable.

It took effort to keep from just falling over, and without quite noticing the steps in between, Maddie had sat down and leaned back against a boulder. Her breathing was sleep-slow even before she relaxed and drifted off.

• • • 

Nothing about this day had gone as planned. Emma Russell sat at a table of her confused, chattering coworkers and tried to come up with _something_ to put her back on schedule. If she hadn’t been so out of it, maybe she could’ve stopped everything from going wrong. But she’d been dealing with old memories for over a week now, as she always did during the anniversary of San Francisco, and today had been no better.

Until they knew the ORCA worked, she and Jonah couldn’t make any obvious moves against Monarch. It was too risky, and with Mothra _gone,_ they’d have to pick a different Titan to try it on, unless they could find her soon.

What had Maddie even been thinking, running in there like that? Or, more importantly, why had Mothra _listened?_ She’d gotten a Titan to calm down with a few words. What had she said? It’d been nothing more than a plea for Mothra to stop, hadn’t it?

Emma stared into the middle distance, focused on nothing, as she considered what she’d seen.

The question, she decided, was whether Maddie could do it again, on any Titan. Because that… that could be very useful.

• • • 

Mark Russell had them play the footage three times before he looked up, clenching his jaw. “And no one did anything? _Emma_ didn’t do anything? Maddie was taken away and no one even tried to help her?”

Serizawa remained looking at the screen, even though the image was frozen. “It seemed to me she went of her own free will. You disagree?”

Trying not to let his frustration rule his temper, Mark glanced away from the trio in front of him. “Free will?” he finally repeated. “How much free will does anyone have when they’re being pushed around by something that big? She’d just seen what it could do, of course she wasn’t going to test it.” He shook his head. “She’s lucky she got it to stop at all before it could do any more damage.”

“Mothra was calm until the containment field went up,” Vivienne told him. “She felt threatened, and reacted accordingly. Based on her reaction to Maddie, we don’t believe she’s in any danger.”

Mark swallowed his argument. “So what do you want from me, then?”

“As Madison’s father, we believed you deserved to know what had happened,” Serizawa said. “The base personnel are exploring the tunnels, but so far, they have had no luck. You are more than welcome to have input on our next move.”

“And Emma? What’s she doing?”

Serizawa and Vivienne shared a look, but it was the man Mark wasn’t familiar with yet—Sam Coleman—who answered. “She’s a little distracted,” he said, fidgeting with his briefcase. “It’s normal, this time of year.”

The beer bottles littering his counter by the sink were a testament to how much he understood that. With a deep sigh, Mark considered his options. Either he stayed and worried in between likely-sporadic updates, or he went with them and worried about things in real time.

“Fine, I’ll come with you. But Maddie’s my top priority, understand? Not the Titan.”

Serizawa nodded. “Of course. No one would ask any differently of you, Mark. However, there is one other thing you should know. A project Emma’s been working on for the past five years.”

“And what would that be?” Mark asked, eyes narrowed a little. Nothing good could be introduced with such grim seriousness.

• • •

“You rebuilt the ORCA?” was the first thing Mark hissed at Emma when they finally stood face to face. “What _possessed_ you—”

“Just because you wanted to leave Monarch behind didn’t mean I wanted to. The ORCA could do good things—”

“Or terrible things! That device—if it even works!—is a disaster waiting to happen and you know it!”

“Is it so bad to want to try and make things better?”

“You’re trying to play god, Emma, and you’re doing it against a creature called Godzilla. Destroy the ORCA before it makes them destroy us!”

The rest of the room’s occupants—made up of Serizawa, Vivienne, Sam, and both Chens—watched their argument as one watches a tennis match, bouncing back and forth from one to the other.

“Maddie’s already been missing for almost two days, the ORCA could be our best shot at getting her back unharmed!”

“Absolutely not. You haven’t even tested it yet! There’s no telling what it could do, and you want to try it out for the first time when our daughter’s _life_ may be on the line?”

“Well, do you have a better idea?”

Serizawa finally stepped forward. “If I may—”

“ _What?_ ” both Mark and Emma snapped, turning to him at the same time.

To Dr. Serizawa’s credit, he merely frowned at them. “I understand you are both worried, but arguing does no one any favors. Now, consider that Madison is not in any danger.”

Mark sighed in frustration.

Serizawa kept going without pause, “There has been no sign of Mothra since her departure. I’m sure we can all agree, at least, that Madison will be with her?” He waited for everyone to nod. “As it is highly likely Mothra has entered her cocoon state, we need only wait for her to emerge and leave the tunnels.”

“But that could be days,” Emma protested before anyone else could speak up. “We don’t have that kind of time.”

“I doubt Mothra would have taken Maddie with her if she didn’t have some way to keep her safe and healthy,” Ilene said.

Ling immediately followed with, “The legends all agree that Mothra was one of the most friendly and benevolent of the Titans. She also had the most contact with humans.”

“So we agree with Dr. Serizawa. Mothra will return when she is ready, and she will no doubt have Maddie with her,” Ilene finished.

Mark looked back and forth between the two sisters. “Are they always like that?” he asked Vivienne.

She elbowed him and sent him a look before saying, “Being patient sounds like the best option to me. If our search methods grow too aggressive, she may become defensive again.”

“The ORCA can—”

“We’re not using the ORCA,” Mark cut Emma off.

“We should at least have it on standby,” she argued. “Then, if anything goes wrong, or if Mothra becomes hostile, we won’t be defenseless.” When Mark opened his mouth, she raised her voice to say, “Better safe than sorry!” 

Mark clenched his fists. “Better safe than sorry? You know what would’ve been safe? If you’d killed it when it was still only an egg. Y’know, before it had a chance to ‘become hostile.’ Now it’s gone and hatched, and it can fight back. No, wait, it didn’t _fight you,_ it kidnapped our daughter!”

They fell back into a fast-paced argument, and this time, none of the others bothered to stop them.

• • •

Maddie’s first mildly aware thoughts consisted of happiness. She was warm and comfortable, and she felt like she was folded within a hug. She was being held tightly, and there was a heartbeat lightly pounding through her. It was peaceful and comforting, but it was also new, in a way. The sensation itself, that was.

It’d been so long since someone had cradled her like this, since she’d been offered anything more than a passing squeeze to the shoulder or a too-quick pat on her back. This level of physical affection had been absent in her life for so long that feeling it again was foreign.

Her face was pressed against something soft. There was a tickle against her fingertips. She had the impression someone—whoever was holding her—was smiling. Maddie felt lighter than air.

Very slowly, she realized she was sleeping, or maybe just beginning to wake up. Her eyes were still closed, she knew that, and she was so completely relaxed that she was more bonelessly limp than she could ever remember being. As more awareness returned to her, slow and thick like she’d been asleep for a long time, and her whole body was trying to remember how to wake up, she expected herself to go tense. For her shoulders to tighten and that bottomless pit of loneliness to replace the core of contentedness within her.

But it didn’t.

Even when she finally forced herself to move a bit, shifting her liquid-loose arms, the serenely happy feeling remained. Still, Maddie didn’t want to take any chances, and she contemplated trying to slip back into peaceful sleep.

A warm chuckle broke the partial silence she hadn’t even noticed. Now that she was paying attention, Maddie could hear the sound of water, flowing and rushing, dripping and rippling.

The hug felt different when she was more awake. Being cradled really was a much better word for it, as she realized there were no arms wrapped around her. And the heartbeat came from below her cheek, which was resting on something soft and cozy. It was warm—whatever was beneath her was the source of the warmth.

And then there was a voice, soft and smooth and audibly delighted, _“Wake up, my child. We have slept long enough.”_

No matter how much Maddie would’ve liked to keep sleeping, she suddenly needed to know. Desperately, urgently, hopefully needed to know who was holding her.

Prying her eyes open was _hard,_ but Maddie was determined. Everything was dark and bleary at first, so she forced herself to roll onto her back and rub her eyes. Looking around, Maddie found herself in an enormous cavern teeming with beautiful blue flowers giving off a slight glow. They covered the ground and cave walls. Even the ceiling hadn’t been entirely spared.

The moving water she’d heard resolved itself into multiple little waterfalls dotting the chamber. The sight was familiar, but Maddie’s memory was doing her no favors. Why was she here? How did she get here?

But there was a more important question in her mind that demanded answering. Without sitting up, Maddie craned her head around to get a better idea of where she was resting, and came face to face with Mothra.

She cooed down at Maddie and flicked a wing at her.

“Hi,” Maddie croaked, her voice sounding a little hoarse. Her throat was dry, and though she wasn’t unusually hungry or thirsty, she had a strange feeling she hadn’t eaten or drank anything in quite a while.

Mothra was settled on the cavern’s ground, a bit curled up and partially on her side. The position created a little dip in the fuzz of her body, and that was where Maddie was lying.

 _“Hello,”_ the voice replied. _“Did you sleep well?”_

“Yeah,” Maddie said slowly. “But I think I might still be sleeping.”

The Titan’s body vibrated as she trilled laughingly. There was no mockery in the sound. _“You are very much awake, little one. We both slept for several days.”_

Finally bringing herself to sit up, Maddie cleared her throat. “Sorry, ‘we’?”

 _“Yes,”_ Mothra said. _“I could not simply leave you out here to wait for me while I went into my cocoon.”_

“And… I’m for sure not dreaming?”

Mothra stretched out of her legs and delicately trailed it over the flowers. The flowers that definitely hadn’t been there when they first entered the cavern, however long ago that’d been. _“I am capable of much, my child. But there will be time to speak of that later. Now, we must act.”_

“What do you mean?” Maddie asked as she carefully slid down to the ground. Her legs wobbled beneath her.

 _“You told me of your troubles, of your worries, and I heard you. If your…_ ** _mother,_** _”_ she said with distaste that left Maddie reeling, _“intends to go through with her scheme, we must move quickly to beat her at her own game, if you will.”_

Maddie gaped a little. “Wait, but—you believe me? Just like that?”

_“Of course.”_

Of course, she said. Of course, as if there was no reason to doubt Maddie. Of course, as if she would trust her word over an adult’s.

Maddie bit her lip. She _would not cry,_ not over something as simple as that. As being _listened_ to.

“Okay,” she said, and to her chagrin, her voice cracked a little.

Mothra made a contemplative noise, and then leaned closer to nudge her head against Maddie, who closed her eyes and leaned into the nuzzle. After a long, blissful moment, Mothra stood and turned to a tunnel Maddie would’ve sworn wasn’t there a minute ago. _“Come, we mustn’t delay. Stretch your legs, my child, for we have a long flight ahead of us.”_

 _Us,_ Maddie mouthed silently. She hurried to follow. “So does that mean you have a plan?” she asked hopefully.

 _“Yes,”_ she chirped back. _“As I said, we will beat her at her own game. It could take too long to find my King, so we will have to hope he catches up to us.”_

Beat Emma Russell at her own game? “The other Titans,” Maddie realized. “You’re gonna wake them up before my mom can.”

Screeching lightly as she emerged into the starry night, Mothra raised her wings, showing off their beautiful patterns and fearsome eyespots. Maddie watched in awe.

_“Exactly, little one. A wakeful mind is harder to fool than a sleepy one.”_

“And you’re okay if I come with you?”

Mothra turned back to look at her. With a powerful weight behind her words, she told Maddie, _“As if I could bear to leave you here with them. A well-cared for child would hardly have need to take comfort in a Titan’s egg.”_ She knelt, sort of, beside a large pile of boulders. Maddie, stunned into a speechless daze, scrambled up them to reach Mothra’s offered back.

It was only as Mothra prepared to take off that Maddie leaned forward to bury her face in the fluff around her neck and whisper, “Thank you.”

In answer, those massive, beautiful wings began to glow, chasing away the shadows as they left the ground.

As the forest and temple grew smaller beneath them, her heart felt full for the first time in a long time. She’d have to get in contact with someone, since she was probably considered missing—maybe even in danger. Ha! As if.

But she couldn’t bring herself to feel guilty about it. She’d been left alone first; now she was just returning the favor, in a way.

A cruel, quiet voice whispered in the back of her mind, _what if no one even cares that you’re gone?_

Maddie shook her head, dislodging the thought. So what if it was true? It wasn’t like it would’ve been much of a surprise.

But dealing with her disappearance was a problem for later. Derailing Jonah and her mom’s plan came first. She’d like to get her hands on the ORCA too, maybe throw it down and stomp all over it—was it possible to be jealous of a _machine?_ —but that'd be harder with how closely it was watched by her mom.

Her mom. Emma Russell made her choices, and Maddie was allowed to disagree with them. It was time Maddie made her own choices. She grinned fiercely up at the stars. _This_ was her choice.

At the very least, riding off with the Queen of Titans to ruin a doomsday plan was a _fantastic_ opening to her not-far-off rebellious teen years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many blessings to thespirtofcliffhangers/Quetzalcoatls because holy frick, your reblog on tumblr gave me the biggest lightbulb moment of where I wanted this to go. Thank you!! 
> 
> On that note, I'm leaving whether I keep going with this up to you guys. Love y'all!
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	3. Time to Wake Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Congratulations on your treat! In my humble opinion, you all voted correctly for this bad boy. Now, there will be at least one more chapter after this, because I think you’d all riot if Maddie never got to confront Emma, so just know that this isn’t the end yet. 
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy!

Maddie watched from Mothra’s back as the ground fell away like it was nothing more than sand slipping over the surface of the rising Titan. Trees were uprooted, boulders cracked apart, and an enormous crater was left where a mountain had once stood. Now, that mountain was actually standing.

Methuselah.

He shook his head with a grating roar, dislodging a waterfall of dirt. Massive curved horns jutted out from the sides of his head to bracket his jaw.

Though Maddie couldn’t understand what he was saying, she was privy to Mothra’s side of the conversation.

_“Trouble, my friend,”_ she told the newly woken Titan. _“A human device made to influence our minds has been created, and it is in the hands of someone whom I do not trust to use it well.”_

A powerful, earth-shaking rumble—different from the recordings Maddie had heard of Godzilla—reverberated through her very bones. It sounded a lot like laughter.

Methuselah stomped one of his forelegs. Less than a mile away, a rotting shack collapsed like a wobbly jenga tower. He growled lowly, and then, though Maddie couldn’t be sure how she knew, he lifted his gaze to where she was peeking over Mothra’s head. The end of his growl turned lilting, like a question.

She was pretty sure she had a good idea of what it was.

_“My child,”_ Mothra answered simply. She sounded every inch the queen she was. _“You may thank her for warning us of this device’s existence and intended purpose.”_

With a gentler, thundering chuckle, Methuselah resettled his forelegs and bent over them, lowering his head toward the ground. Maddie startled violently when a new voice spoke, reminding her of rockslides and, oddly, the echoing creak of shifting ice.

_“My thanks, little human,”_ Methuselah, for it could only have been him, said. _“May the earth remain solid beneath your every step.”_

(A Titan’s blessing was a powerful, wonderful thing. Never again would Maddie trip over cracks in concrete, roots in the forest, or sunken dips in fields. She’d remain steady on the slipperiest rocks and not even the slickest ice could make her lose her footing, for a Titan of the earth had commanded it to be so.)

Though her voice was not as great as Methuselah’s nor as regal as Mothra’s, she leaned up to better see him and called back, “You’re welcome! I, uh, hope you stay safe!” She just managed to keep from wincing. It felt a bit silly to say that to a Titan, but in her defense, she’d been caught off guard.

Mothra trilled and beat her wings more purposefully. Maddie secured her grip as they rose higher into the air. _“I do so hate to leave you like this, but we have others to wake, my friend. When we are no longer in danger of falling victim to the device, perhaps we may meet again?”_

_“I look forward to it. And if you see Godzilla, tell him I said he’s slipping in his duties!”_

Laughing as she turned, Mothra shook her head. _“Just this once, Methuselah, I’ll indulge you. When he demands to know where you are, where shall I send him?”_

_“North, where he last fought me to regain my respect!”_

Maddie twisted around as Mothra flew away, to watch Methuselah lumber away from the nearby city, deeper into the wilderness. “Why does he want to taunt Godzilla?” she asked.

_“It is all in good fun, my child,”_ Mothra answered. _“They enjoy shoving each other around like hatchlings.”_ She tutted, but it was such a warmly fond sound. _“It is Methuselah’s habit to keep his King’s ego in check.”_

Getting comfortable for another presumably long flight, Maddie laughed. “Boys will be boys?”

_“An excellent way of putting it, yes. They would never intentionally hurt each other, but they will certainly put on a good show.”_ After a slight pause, she added, _“You are welcome to watch, if you’d like.”_

“Really?” Maddie perked up. “I’ve never really seen Titans fight. I mean, I was there when Godzilla fought the MUTOs, but I didn’t actually see anything. There were buildings and stuff in the way, but there was so much smoke, it probably didn’t even matter.”

_“MUTO?”_

“Oh, sorry. That’s what they called the—Titans, I guess, that Godzilla killed in San Francisco. They had long legs and were gray-ish black with red eyes? MUTO stands for… uh, Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism.”

_“The parasites,”_ Mothra mumbled. _“Then—you said he killed them?”_

“Yeah. There were two, but then a third one showed up a year later.” The reminder of that third one, the one her mother had something to do with, soured her mood. It was during that mission that Mom and Jonah first met, briefly as it was. The beginning of the end, as far as Maddie was concerned.

_“And… you were present during that battle?”_ There was something in her tone that Maddie hadn’t heard in _ages_. Something kind and soft and tender. Caring.

If her eyes teared up a little and her fingers clenched tighter around Mothra’s fluff, no one had to know. Maybe it was just the wind making her eyes water, maybe she was afraid of falling.

“My whole family was,” she finally got out. “It—do, do you remember when I told you about my brother, Andrew? How he’s—dead? That’s where he died, during the battle.”

_“Faintly, yes. I was aware enough then to… understand, in some capacity. I am so sorry, my child. A lost brother is a terrible thing.”_

Maddie nodded. Boy, did she know how true that was. “Yeah,” she whispered. “It is.”

They flew in silence for some time, enough for Maddie to contemplate taking a nap. The sun hovered on the horizon behind them, but if anything, those first touches of warm sunlight only made the prospect more enticing.

But then, Mothra made a funny noise. It hovered somewhere between displeasure and regret and uncertainty.

“What’s wrong?”

_“I have determined which Titan I am tracking now. They are far,_ **_we_ ** _are far, and I—I would alter our course if you so choose.”_

“Like… pick a different Titan?”

_“Yes. I am sorry, my child, but the Titan waiting at our current next destination is one of those so-called MUTOs. She is the queen of them, their kind, though she defers to my King and me on greater matters.”_ And Mothra was genuinely apologetic, Maddie realized, and actually meant it when she said they could skip the MUTO if Maddie wanted.

“I appreciate the offer,” Maddie said, hoping Mothra heard, and _understood,_ how deeply and truly touched she was for it. “But I—I’d rather face her to wake her up than leave her to be controlled.” The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

_“Then it shall be done,”_ Mothra said solemnly. _“You need not speak to her, Maddie, if you do not want to. Whether you do or not, she will not—indeed,_ ** _cannot_** _—harm you. She is far more polite than any of her direct kindred I have ever had the… displeasure of encountering.”_

“It might make me feel better,” she mused. A quick yawn stole her words for a moment. “Like closure or something.”

_“You will have time to consider your decision.”_ Mothra laughed lightly. _“But for now, you may rest, my child. I can feel the weight of sleep tugging at you. If you are still asleep when we are nearing our destination, I will wake you.”_

Maddie inelegantly flopped down so she was sprawled comfortably on Mothra’s back. “Promise?” she asked, closely followed by another yawn.

_“Yes, Maddie. I promise.”_

And what do you know. For once, Maddie actually believed someone’s word would be kept. For that reason, for that trust, she relaxed into the warmth suffusing her inside and out.

• • •

In the end, Maddie woke up on her own. They were still over the ocean, which she could see far below them through the wispy clouds. The sun had risen significantly, and it worked with her jacket to keep the chill of the wind away.

She sat up and stretched her arms. Pins and needles tingled through her legs, so she wiggled her feet and hoped they would go away soon. “Are we close?” she asked.

_“Yes. We will reach her resting place soon,”_ Mothra said. _“Did you sleep well?”_

“Yeah. Better than I have in a while, actually,” Maddie admitted. “Do you think everything will turn out okay?”

Mothra remained silent in thought for a few moments. _“Yes, I do,”_ she finally answered. _“We have the advantage in every respect, my child. A prepared Titan is a difficult Titan to target. And by now, Godzilla will know that something is happening.”_

“Will we go find him soon?”

_“We will not need to, Maddie, for_ **_he_ ** _will find_ **_us_** _.”_

Perhaps the promise in those words should’ve scared her. Godzilla was… Godzilla. He’d been in San Francisco too, even if he wasn't one of the bad guys. The blue light from his atomic breath had been a feature in some of her younger self’s nightmares.

But instead, she found it comforting. Godzilla was the King for a reason, and even if he’d leveled a few buildings five years ago, he’d killed the MUTOs who truly had no care for humanity. If he was on their side—and obviously, he was—then her mom and Jonah couldn’t possibly stand a chance.

Maddie hoped so, at least. And she clung to that hope, so bright in her chest after so long without anything like it. She had people—Titans—on her side for once.

The coast appeared in the far distance and Mothra descended slightly. Maddie took a deep breath. It wouldn’t be long before she came face to face with a MUTO. It’d be worth it, though, to keep her mom from being able to bring Maddie’s old nightmare to life.

• • •

“Methuselah is awake and on the move,” Dr. Serizawa reported. “And witnesses claim to have seen Mothra in the area when he emerged from hibernation.”

“Was Maddie with her?” Emma asked.

“No one could say for sure,” he told her. “She was too high above the ground for anyone to get a good look at her back.”

Mark banged his fist on the table and turned away. “So she could still be in the tunnels for all we know.”

“I doubt Mothra would have left her there alone,” Ilene protested. “We should proceed under the assumption that Maddie is still with Mothra.”

“So no shooting her down,” Dr. Serizawa said, sending a warning look at Mark. “In fact, it would be best not to approach in any aircraft. We don’t want to startle her into dropping Maddie.”

Mark grumbled under his breath but didn’t argue.

“Did there appear to be a reason for why Mothra went to Methuselah?” Emma asked. She fiddled with a pen and stared into the distance, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

“None that we aware of,” Ling answered. “By all accounts, she arrived, Methuselah awoke, and she left. She went west, toward the Atlantic.”

From the other side of the conference room they were scattered around in, Rick lifted his head above the laptop in front of him. “We’re tracking her as best as we can on short notice. She’ll hit the east coast of the States within the hour. We’re being picked up in ten minutes to go after her.”

“What part of the coast?” Mark asked. He paced restlessly, fidgeting with the zipper on his coat. “Is there anything in the US she could want?”

Rick shrugged. “Well, it ain’t Godzilla she’s looking for. We last pinged him near Madagascar. But, uh, unless she veers way off course, Mothra’ll be crossing into New Jersey soon.”

• • •

_“This is unfortunate,”_ Mothra said solemnly. Maddie stared down with her at the strip mall that apparently sat on top of the MUTO. _“There is no way to avoid the building.”_

Maddie bit her lip. “I don’t suppose you can ask her to move slowly? That might give everyone enough time to get away.”

Mothra hummed. _“I will request she move with caution when she breaks through the surface.”_

It took a minute, but Maddie gradually became aware of a light rumbling. People streamed out of the building, though no one seemed too panicked yet. By the time the first wall crumbled and the concrete began to split apart, there didn’t seem to be anyone left in the immediate vicinity.

Maddie shuddered at the sight of the massive MUTO unfolding before her very eyes. The mechanical chittering that had haunted her nightmares for months had her locking up with an old, ingrained fear. For as long as five years felt sometimes, the memories in that moment felt like they were from yesterday.

She was vaguely aware of Mothra having a smilier one-sided conversation as she’d had with Methuselah, but the phantom sound of crumbling buildings and furious, high-pitched wails were all she could truly hear.

Back then, she’d only really seen a MUTO once, when the male first dive-bombed out of the clouds. That was before the smoke and fires had really started, and after that, their presence was mostly felt through their piercing vocalizations.

It was only later that she’d seen the footage of what happened at the heart of the battle, the details of the creatures that had rampaged through the city. And now one of the very same was standing before her, an old nightmare come to life.

But Mothra had promised she’d be safe, and Maddie trusted her. So, she squared her shoulders, shook the memories into the back of her mind, and tuned back in just in time to hear Mothra say, _“The wounds caused by your kind are too fresh. It would be safest for you to go where the humans will not find you, or they cannot possibly see you as a threat. We will handle the rest.”_

The MUTO let out a warbling chitter.

_“My child,”_ Mothra said, like she’d told Methuselah. _“She delivered the warning to me.”_

And also like with Methuselah, when the MUTO next spoke, Maddie could understand her. _“A brave human,”_ she said. There was an echo of a hiss in her voice, like a snake's, but it didn’t sound as scary as she would’ve expected. _“To think of us, to come to one of us. You have my gratitude.”_

Meeting the MUTO’s slanted red eyes, Maddie took a deep breath, carefully let it out, and said, “You’re welcome.”

It was hardly a conversation. But she’d done it, she’d faced a creature she feared so greatly, been _thanked_ by that creature, and had found enough air in her lungs to respond. Perhaps it wasn’t the most impressive victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.

With a deep nod of her head, the MUTO bid them farewell and departed, heading north and noticeably avoiding stepping on things.

_“Are you all right?”_ Mothra asked as she wheeled about and soared higher once again. _“I felt a… dissonance about you.”_

Slumping over in relief, Maddie shakily responded, “I’m fine. I’m fine. I—I was just remembering some stuff from back then, but… I got past it. I didn’t choke.” She laughed disbelievingly. “I even managed to talk to her, Mothra!”

_“And I am very proud of you for doing so, my child. It could not have been easy.”_

Maddie shook her head. It hadn’t been easy, not at all. But she’d done it anyway. “So. Who’s next?”

• • •

Emma stood beside Vivienne at the edge of the damage, surveying the hole the MUTO had emerged from. Just like in Germany, other than the wreckage necessary for the Titan to awaken and return to their own feet, there was no destruction characteristic of a rampage.

The area had been cordoned off long before they got there. Mark was kicking pieces of rubble around, and Rick’s nose was buried in his tablet. They had decided to split up, so the Chens and Serizawa had gone to Castle Bravo.

“She’s just… waking them up and sending them on their way,” Emma finally said. Her thoughts were whirling, almost too fast for her to keep up. Why was Mothra doing this? There’d been no indication anywhere that this was what she would instinctively do after gaining her wings.

Turning to Rick, who was poking around on his tablet, Vivienne asked, “Is there any sign of hostility in the MUTO?”

“None. They’re keeping eyes on her from a distance, but she’s just walking. Hell, she’s even gone out of her way a few times to avoid buildings and crap.”

“They’re not planning to engage, are they?”

Rick shook his head. “According to this, they’re under orders just to observe for now. If she’s not pissed off, we don’t want to be the ones to make her angry.”

Emma stepped closer to watch as he swiped to a new page with a map. “And where’s Mothra headed now?”

“If she keeps going straight, she’ll pass through the northernmost bit of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. What we don’t know is where she’ll actually stop.”

For the first time since their arrival, Mark, who Emma thought looked rather haunted, spoke up. “And are there any Titans along that line? Third time’s the charm, y’know.”

“Yes,” Vivienne whispered. “Outpost 55 is in Arizona. It’s where Scylla’s burrowed.”

“Well,” Mark said. “Mothra’s got quite the head start on us, so let’s call Arizona a lost cause. Where would she conceivably go next, if she’s playing hide and seek with the Titans?”

“Rodan,” Emma reflexively said. She knew exactly where Outpost 56 was, considering its original role in her plan. “Isla de Mara, Mexico. He would be closest.”

“If we leave now,” Rick started, already turning to speed-walk back to the Osprey they’d arrived in, “we might just beat her there.”

Emma let herself grow lost in thought as the chopper blades whirred to life. The question of Mothra’s motivation bothered her immensely, and Maddie’s possible involvement even more so. Nothing about this made sense, not from the moment Maddie had run into the chamber and gotten Mothra to calm down.

A call to Jonah was in order, but it looked like it might be a while before she could get away to safely do so. Their plans, upended as they’d been, weren’t completely out of the cards yet. Surely, just because the Titans were awake, didn’t mean they couldn’t still be controlled. At worst, it would probably just be harder to track them down.

Mark glowered down at the floor from a seat on the other side of the aisle. Vivienne had her phone out and was presumably texting either Serizawa or one of the Chens. Maybe it was a group chat, and she was keeping them all updated. Rick hadn’t taken his eyes off his tablet for more than a few seconds at a time.

It could be worse, Emma reassured herself. Despite these unfortunate setbacks, nothing had happened yet that would completely prevent their plan from being carried out. Monarch was entirely unaware of Jonah, hovering at their fringes, ready to strike as soon as the time was right. Better yet, her own change in allegiance remained undiscovered. She was still safe.

In all honesty, the largest wildcard in this entire situation was Maddie. Was she merely tagging along? Or could she have some influence over Mothra? The incident in the chamber suggested she did, and Emma _burned_ with the need to understand how.

They’d intercept Mothra and Maddie in Mexico, and then Emma would get the answers she wanted.

She slid her heel back to tap against the ORCA, secured beneath her seat. It’d be a few days late, yes, but it looked like she’d get her opportunity to test it on Mothra soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the wait—and the surprise—were worth it! 
> 
> As with many of my chapter titles, it has a double meaning! Physically, it's time for the Titans to wake up, but in the figurative sense, it's a warning for some people to "wake up" from their delusions/preconceived notions. Also, I can't remember what inspired me to include the blessing thing, but I'm already attached to the concept. ;3
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	4. Time to Get Angry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Godzilla in this chapter, and before y’all sharpen your pitchforks, take notice of the new chapter count. Fifth time’s the charm, right? We’ll get to the Dadzilla eventually…
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

Scylla’s awakening went much the same as the other two’s. She was on her way with no complaint, and after a brief break to allow Maddie a trip to the bathroom, then an ATM and fast food place, she and Mothra returned to the open air.

It’d been suspiciously peaceful, in Maddie’s opinion. There were no signs of Monarch anywhere, though she knew better than to think that just because she couldn’t see them, they weren’t there. If she had to guess, they were at least being tracked.

But since there had been no attempt at interference yet, Maddie had little choice but to set her slight misgivings aside. 

Their next target was Rodan, who was near enough to the ocean that Mothra suspected Godzilla would make an appearance.

_“And if he doesn’t,”_ Mothra had said, _“I will be forced to assume he is either a fool for not catching on, or he is not nearly as impressive of a swimmer as I remember.”_

In the distance and quickly growing closer, she spotted the volcano housing Rodan. Maddie leaned forward, trying to see if she could spot any signs of Godzilla in the water. Unfortunately, they were too far for her measly human eyesight to register anything other than _blue_.

“Will Rodan be able to get out okay?” she asked. Based on pictures she’d seen in the past, the volcano was capped with something like a massive, reinforced vault door, surrounded by a flat concrete area where employees and such could work. The majority of the outpost itself had been carved out of the volcano, and the mountain it jutted out from.

If he wasn’t careful, a lot of people could get hurt during his escape. It wasn’t like with Scylla and Methuselah, who were more or less out in the open, or the MUTO, who merely had to burrow up slow enough for humans to get away.

Mothra chittered in concern. _“If he must force his way out, past their defenses, there is a great risk of harm, both to himself and the humans. Opening that hatch would likely help reduce the potential danger.”_

Right as Maddie was about to suggest going down there herself to see what she could do—and set off an alarm to clear the base while she was at it—a bizarre whomping noise blared from the speakers surrounding the top of the volcano. She cringed.

“What _is_ that?” she started to ask, but Mothra suddenly shuddered and dropped several feet through the air before catching herself. “Mothra!”

Wobbling, she screeched wordlessly and tossed her head. _“There is a great pain in my head,”_ she growled. _“This must be the device you spoke of. It—”_

Maddie yelped when Mothra fell a little more. Her wings, when Maddie looked at them, seemed to be shaking and stiff. She gripped tighter at Mothra’s fluff when she thrashed with a terrible shriek, nearly sending Maddie flying.

_“I’m going to attempt to land, Maddie,”_ she said. Her voice was pinched and faint. _“You must brace yourself, I’m not certain I’ll be able to—”_

The pitch of the whomping went higher, hurting even Maddie’s ears, and with a weak trill, Mothra began to plummet.

• • •

“Enough!” Vivienne called, rushing to the door leading out of the room. Her heart was in her throat, her own gasp from the moment first Mothra faltered ringing in her ears even over the ORCA. “Turn it off, Emma!”

Mark was shouting behind her, and the ORCA’s pattern changed. Rick swore as he yanked the door open, only a few steps ahead of her, and they emerged onto the deck surrounding the volcano’s seal in time to watch Mothra well and truly fall.

The ORCA cut out abruptly, and she heard the tail end of Mark hollering, “—just pull the plug!” The built-in speakers continued to wail, but for how long, Vivienne didn’t know. She and Rick were already running toward where Mothra looked like she would crash.

“Should’ve waited,” Rick growled. “If Maddie’s up there with her like we think—”

She was falling too fast, and from too great a height, Vivienne thought desperately. Maddie would surely be thrown off on impact.

To her immense relief, Mothra seemed to come back to herself in the returned silence, though it was far too late to correct her course or gain altitude. Instead, with a trill, she seemed to buck and twist around, and only a moment later, her back connected with the mountain’s rocky hillside.

Curled up rather tightly, she skidded and slid quite a distance, dislodging rocks and boulders of all sizes. It was a close call, but Mothra stopped before she could tumble off the edge, where the fall was much steeper.

“I didn’t see Maddie,” Rick said as they both picked up speed.

Her heart in her throat, Vivienne desperately hoped the poor child was safe. Perhaps she hadn’t been with Mothra after all, though the Monarch team in Arizona swore they’d seen a person atop the Titan.

A quick glance behind her showed Mark in hot pursuit, with Emma standing still outside the control room, her phone in hand.

Rick gasped sharply, drawing her attention back to the crumpled Titan in front of them. Vivienne watched in first confusion, then relieved awe, as Mothra, flopped on her side, uncurled, revealing Maddie safe and sound, all tucked up against the soft fluff of her stomach.

“Maddie!” Vivienne called. The girl pushed herself to her feet, looking slightly confused but entirely unharmed. “Thank goodness you’re all right!”

She and Rick joined her on the wide concrete lip separating the deck from the side of the mountain. Vivienne found herself patting her down, checking for injuries, before Maddie could even get a word in.

“Nice eyes, kid,” Rick said, panting slightly.

“What?”

Vivienne looked at Maddie’s face and said, “Oh! How did…”

“What’s wrong with my eyes?” Maddie asked, raising a hand to her face.

“Nothing,” Vivienne assured her. Mark appeared at her side as she continued, “Do you not know? They’re,” she searched for the right descriptor, “quite a lovely aqua blue. Like…” Her gaze drifted past Maddie to Mothra, who was righting herself. They were the same color as the glow of Mothra’s wings.

Maddie twisted around to look at Mothra. “Really?” she asked, and for a moment, Vivienne thought she was speaking to one of them.

But then Mothra trilled, and in response, Maddie smiled.

It could be a mere coincidence, she briefly thought. But given everything else that had happened between these two, perhaps it wasn’t so farfetched to think she was witnessing genuine communication.

Turning back to them, Maddie asked, “What are you guys doing here, anyway?”

At that, Mark sputtered wildly. “What do you mean, what are we—you were kidnapped, Maddie!”

“I was not! I mean—it’s not kidnapping if you go willingly!”

Shaking his head, Mark looked like needed to sit down for a while. “I—it doesn’t matter! Do you have any idea how worried we’ve all been? You went missing over a week ago! We thought you were hurt or something.”

Vivienne tactfully didn’t mention that really only Mark had believed Maddie was in any true danger. They’d all been eager to find her safe and sound, of course, but… well. She supposed it didn’t really matter.

“Yeah, real concerned,” Maddie said sarcastically, glancing over their heads at Emma, who was still juggling the ORCA and her cell phone. “You guys are the ones who as good as shot us out of the sky.”

Mark tugged her down to the concrete deck, away from Mothra, who chirped.

“It’s fine, he’s just my dad,” Maddie said, pulling her arm out of his hand. “You might as well go on without me.”

“Who are you even talking to?”

“Oh, come on, man,” Rick said to Mark. “You’ve gotta be smarter than that.”

While Mark made offended noises, Vivienne lightly touched Maddie on her shoulder, entranced once again by the brilliant color of her eyes. “Can you truly understand her?”

A wild, excited grin lit Maddie’s face up and she nodded. “I’ve been able to since I woke up. She… put me to sleep, I guess, while she was in her cocoon.”

“Incredible. Absolutely incredible.” Vivienne looked back up at Mothra, trying to fathom what it might be like to comprehend her words. “What about the other Titans? Have you—”

“Them too! But it’s weird, it doesn’t make sense right away. It’s like they gotta actually be talking to me for it to work, maybe? I mean, it’s all happened so fast, y’know?”

Rick abandoned his argument with Mark to ask, “Why are you guys waking the Titans up, anyway?”

And it was strange. Maddie’s face went blank, and her shoulders tensed, but not before something that seemed like anger tightened the line of her mouth.

“Just ’cause,” she said flatly. “Mothra missed them and invited me along for the ride.”

The reason rang as false to Vivienne. Mothra apparently had something to say about it as well, and she glanced over her shoulder at the Titan, but Maddie didn’t respond to her other than to slightly shake her head.

“I don’t buy it,” Mark said. He eyed Mothra warily and not-so-subtly began to encourage the group to walk away. At long last, Emma appeared to be heading in their direction. “What aren’t you telling us, kiddo?”

Maddie took a breath to speak, but the moment her eyes landed on her mother, she froze before any words could come out. Looking back and forth between them offered Vivienne no clues as to why.

“You wouldn’t believe me,” Maddie whispered, shoulders turning inward.

Emma stopped in front of them and slid her phone into her pocket, her eyes solidly fixed on Maddie.

• • •

“If we time this right, we can still make it look like a kidnapping. Once you make it up here, take Maddie hostage and demand I use the ORCA.”

“And Madison? Will you offer an exchange—yourself for her?”

“No. Take us both. I—I need to know how she did it, Alan. What did she do to make Mothra listen to her?”

“Mm, yes. If there’s a way for someone to counteract the effects of the ORCA, better to know sooner, rather than later.”

“Exactly. And maybe we can replicate it ourselves. When we go to the Osprey, I’ll make sure Maddie and I are the last ones to get on. We’ll be easy targets.”

“Excellent. Well done, Emma.”

• • •

Maddie had felt a lot of things toward her mother in the past, but never had it been like this, as if she was facing down a true opponent. If this were a game of chess, Maddie and Mothra had just successfully taken out a number of Emma Russell’s pawns. And whether or not her mom knew they were playing against each other, she had to know her plan had suffered some major blows.

But had she connected the dots and figured out that it wasn’t mere coincidence?

She didn’t say anything after her mom joined the group. Neither did her mother.

“Okay,” her dad said as the silence drew on. “Let’s just—how about we get out of here and continue the conversation elsewhere? Not sure about the rest of you, but I can’t say I’m thrilled to be standing on top of volcano where a Titan is taking a nap.”

Dr. Stanton snorted, breaking the worst of the tension. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Mark?” he asked, though obligingly began to walk across the platform.

Maddie, somewhat trapped between her dad and Aunt Viv, was forced along with the adults. She could only hope Mothra actually would keep going and not worry about her, though—with a light, warm feeling—she suspected otherwise.

Given their conversation about Mom, and to a lesser, the information Mothra had gradually coaxed out of her about her overall family situation during their flight to Arizona, it didn’t seem likely that Mothra would just leave her with her parents.

She’d been rather furiously vocal about it, actually, which was a pretty new experience for Maddie. She’d never had anyone exclusively on her side before, for one reason or another.

The adults chatted as they made their way to the nearing helipad, where an Osprey sat with the ramp already down. Maddie mostly ignored them, too busy trying to decide what her next course of action should be.

It was pure chance that she glanced off to the side and actually recognized one of the dime-a-dozen heavy-lifters milling about. That man was unmistakably part of Jonah’s group. A terrible weight settled in her stomach.

They were like ants. Where there was one, there was almost always another.

Maddie pulled up short at the edge of the large helipad, because—no. No, whatever they had planned, she wanted absolutely none of it.

“Maddie?” Dad asked, peering curiously at her.

She ignored him to look back at where Mothra still stood, watching. And it occurred to her—it didn’t matter whether or not they all believed her if she told them about her mom’s betrayal. Because someone else _did,_ and Mothra not only believed her, she was doing something to keep the worst from happening. And all the Titans they’d met so far hadn’t expressed so much as a shred of doubt, even after finding out a little human was the one who’d delivered the warning.

In all the ways that mattered most, regardless of what Maddie did next, she had the best backup waiting just a few wingbeats away.

“You all right, kid?” Dr. Stanton asked.

For the first time in years when someone asked her that, Maddie told the truth. “No, I’m not all right.” She turned on her mother, who had drifted to the back of the group. “And it’s because of _you._ ”

Ignoring her mom’s shock, she took a step closer and continued, “I won’t do it anymore. I won’t just, just sit back and let you destroy everything Monarch’s worked so hard for. You say it’s all for Andrew, but how many kids just like him will die because of you?”

“ _What?”_ someone behind her burst out. Maddie’s ears were ringing too loudly for her to tell who.

Her mother opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, and Maddie took advantage of her stunned silence to keep going. “And as if what you _want_ to do isn’t bad enough, what you’ve already done—I don’t know if I can ever forgive you. You’ve pushed me aside for five years for _that thing,”_ she jabbed viciously at the ORCA, “and ignored me and left me to deal with being alone. I was seven and had no idea how to deal with grief and you—you never helped. Not ever.”

It was all out of order and probably confusing as hell for their audience, and she didn’t have nearly enough words for everything she wished she could convey but it was _enough_.

“You were so busy trying to turn your son into a martyr for a cause he never would’ve believed in,” Maddie whispered, the final nail in the coffin, “that you never even noticed that you lost your daughter along the way.”

Over her mother’s shoulder, she watched Mothra raise her wings, high and bright, and felt a warmth suffuse her that was every bit as triumphant and proud and congratulatory as the wordless trill she released into the sky.

“Maddie, that’s ridiculous,” her mom said, oh-so-patronizingly. “I only want what’s best for you, and I would never—”

Whatever else she said went completely and utterly unheard. That _lie_ was the source of the last five years of loneliness and hurt and silence, and to hear her make that claim… it didn’t break something in Maddie. No. Nor did something snap, or shatter, or crack open.

Hearing her mother deny the years of neglect simply made Maddie let go.

She let go of any faint hope of repairing the increasingly thin bond between them; of the thought that family implicitly meant something, or deserved loyalty or respect; of the young, childish belief that her mother loved her enough to _stop_.

And it felt wonderful.

It also gave her the courage to do something she wished she’d done a long time ago.

Maddie’s eyes landed on the troublesome device in her mom’s hands. Too quick for anyone to react, she lunged forward, grabbed the edge of the ORCA, and yanked. Her mother had only a moment to resist, too taken by surprise to get a good grip, before Maddie had ripped the device out of her hands with enough force to send it flying over the railing surrounding the helipad.

The ORCA tumbled to the thin strip of ground below, harshly enough for the upper screens to snap off. However, Maddie wasn’t satisfied. She evaded her dad’s reaching hand and slipped under the railing to jump down to the rocks. The edge of the volcano, the deadly steep cliffside that went a long way down to the surrounding forest, waited just feet away.

“Maddie!” her mom cried. “What are—”

She made sure to turn and face the helipad so her mom could see the unnatural light of her eyes and the glare in them, full of the righteous fury she felt finally being released. “This is for every day you ignored me!” Maddie stomped as hard as she could on the open ORCA, smashing the center screen with the wiggly circles.

A choked sound escaped her mom, but Maddie kept going.

Raising her foot, she cried, “This is for Mothra, who saved the world from you!” and brought it down again, crushing the mechanisms beneath the screens and beginning to crumple the whole thing into itself.

There was a commotion from further down the roof, and in her peripherals, she saw someone else join her on the volcano. But she was on a roll, and no one was going to stop her from saying her piece.

Inching back, Maddie readied for the final blow and shouted the thought that had been in her mind for nearly a year: “And this is for Andrew, who never would’ve wanted you to kill people in his name!”

She jumped, bringing her feet together to crash straight down into the ORCA’s broken remains, shattering it irreparably. It crunched satisfyingly and little bits and pieces exploded outward from the force of it.

A mere second after ruining years of work beneath her sneakers, a large hand wrapped around her arm and Maddie looked up into Jonah’s furiously snarling face. Whatever he was going to say, or was maybe already saying, went unheard, as Maddie yanked away and growled, “Don’t touch me!”

She stepped back in an effort to free her arm, one foot stuck in the ORCA’s remains, and the casing slipped awkwardly on the rocks. Jonah, seemingly intent to keep his grasp on her, tried to follow, only to stumble on the mess of plastic and metal on the ground.

He lost his balance, there on the edge of the volcano, but Maddie, with an earth Titan’s blessing anchoring her feet to the ground, didn’t.

They say it was a long fall to the bottom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all didn’t think the Titan blessing thing wouldn’t have a purpose, did you? ;) 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed the confrontation! Love y’all so much! ❤️
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	5. Time to Meet the King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone order some Dadzilla? 
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy!

The click of the handcuffs in the long, stunned silence following Jonah’s plummet to his death was one of the single most satisfying sounds Maddie had ever heard. Apparently, not only was his presence at the outpost incriminating, but whatever he’d been saying when he’d grabbed her only dug her mother deeper into the hole she’d made herself.

And so, after everyone snapped out of the frozen state they’d all fallen into, horrified stares had been turned upon Emma Russell, who seemed most shocked of all. She hadn’t resisted when one of the Monarch guards tugged her hands behind her back.

Maddie almost couldn’t believe it. It was over. The truth was out, and would probably continue to be sought. And Maddie didn’t have to silently carry that burden on her own anymore.

She allowed herself to be pulled back to safety on the other side of the railing, at which point, her dad hugged her tight and refused to let go. After picturing how it must’ve looked to him—how close she had almost been to suffering the same fate as Jonah—she was content to wait for him to release her on his own time.

Her ears buzzed with shock and relief, and it was easy to drift in the muted chaos around them, she and her dad like a small, immovable island in the midst of a storm. Let the adults have their adult discussions. Maddie had done and said her piece.

“You’ve really given me a heart attack these past few days, kid,” her dad mumbled against the side of her head.

“Sorry,” she said, though not at all sorry for finally _doing_ something other than sitting in silence. Making people worry about her hadn’t been part of the plan.

He chuckled. “Yeah, sure you are.”

Maddie hummed and twisted her head around to try and spot Mothra. She hadn’t moved much from her perch on the side of the mountain, though she was clearly focused on something away from the bustling humans.

It was around the same time as she wondered what Mothra was looking at that Maddie became aware of a new silence slowly settling over the group. Her dad’s grip loosened, and she turned to follow where he was staring, wide-eyed. Most of the people around them were falling still, everyone facing the same direction, wearing various expressions of shock.

With the rest, Maddie looked out into the distance, where the curve of the land met the sea. The ocean wasn’t _too_ far from the volcano. It was certainly close enough for everyone standing on the concrete deck of the outpost to see what was happening in the bay.

Great, crashing waves rippled outward from where Godzilla was slowly emerging, wading out of the depths toward the shore. The water parted easily for him, and it reminded Maddie of the footage from San Francisco, when he’d first appeared near the bridge.

At such a distance, there was no sound for them to hear, no rumbling growl or oceanic splashing. The utter silence that had overtaken the deck was almost eerie, and complete in a way it hadn’t quite been when Jonah fell. It was as if the world had frozen for the King’s arrival. Even Maddie felt like she was holding her breath.

Mothra had been right— _Godzilla_ would find _them_.

Hushed gasps of surprise spread through the gathered crowd when Mothra suddenly and near-silently glided over them and soared down to Godzilla, who had come to a stop in the shallows and raised his head.

They met, quite literally, in a bloom of light. Mothra’s wings glowed even in the midday sun, and Godzilla’s spines pulsed blue.

For all that Maddie had spoken to Titans from Mothra’s back, at great distances, none had been this far. Any words exchanged between them went unheard by her.

Tugging at her dad’s sleeve, knowing the end had finally, at long last, arrived, she told him, “We should get everyone out of the base, unless they’re willing to open the volcano.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mothra’s gonna wake Rodan up. They don’t want to hurt anyone, but if people get in the way…”

She expected him to sigh, or crease his eyebrows in confusion, or shake his head like he didn’t believe her. Instead, he leveled a long, searching look on her before nodding slowly.

“All right,” Dad said. “We’ll see what we can do.”

• • •

It took time for Maddie to be able to slip away from everyone keeping a careful eye on her, but after years of practice, she knew how best to fade from people’s attention. They had managed to clear the way for Rodan, who had successfully woken and escaped, irrelevant as it was with the ORCA broken. All that was left was the answering of some questions, and perhaps the asking of others.

She knew they’d probably be leaving soon, once things were cleared up and plans for the future were made. Maddie left the adults to their boring meetings and slipped outside in the hopes of saying goodbye to Mothra before it was too late.

Maddie hadn’t thought to plan this far ahead. Her only goal had really been to keep Mom from destroying the world via Titans, and now that her self-imposed quest had reached its end, she wasn’t entirely sure what would happen now.

Given her mother’s arrest, obviously she’d go with her dad. But the lack of details made her nervous. Would they go to his home in Colorado? It wouldn’t be the most isolated place she’d ever lived, but she knew just how out-of-the-way it was.

It was exhausting in its own way, being on her own all the time. Some part of her feared nothing about her situation would _really_ change, that it would be just like before, with the only difference being her dad taking her mom’s place.

Temptations plagued her as Maddie found her way outside. Running away had long been a quiet thought in her head, but the location of Outpost 61 had made that nearly impossible. But now…

She sighed to herself, almost right as Mothra suddenly swooped down and landed gracefully in front of her. Maddie, entirely involuntarily, perked up and ran the short distance to where the Queen waited.

_“What was that sigh for, my child?”_ Mothra asked as she nuzzled against Maddie. _“You seem troubled.”_

“Just worried about the future,” she easily admitted. “I… I want to give my dad a chance, I think. But I’m scared that it’ll all go wrong and everything will be just like before.”

She hummed, kneeling. Already used to the movement, even after so little time, Maddie beamed and climbed up onto her back. _“I recall you talking about your father. He left you alone, did he not?”_

“Yeah.” She braced herself as Mothra launched into the sky with a light screech. “But he came when he found out I’d disappeared, which… I wasn’t really expecting that.”

It gave her hope, but hope could be dangerous. It could be killed so easily, after all.

“What would you do?” she asked, pressing her face against the soft fluff of Mothra’s neck. Wind rushed over her sun-warmed back, and she closed her eyes in contentment.

_“Hm. I think I would give him a chance. As you said, he came, likely out of worry for you. That is more than we could say for your mother’s presence here.”_

Maddie hesitated, and in her silence, Mothra continued, _“And if there’s no significant improvement from your previous situation, then you may call on me, and we can figure something else out together.”_

“Call on you?”

Trilling as she began to slowly corkscrew lower, she said, _“It’s part of my blessing to you, my child. I am only ever a thought away.”_

“Just like that?” Maddie asked wonderingly.

_“Just like that.”_

It’d been a long time since Maddie had had someone, anyone, who promised to simply be there for her when she asked. She knew people like Aunt Viv probably would’ve jumped to help her if Maddie had so much as indicated something was truly wrong, but to hear the words, to be given that sort of promise—it eased the worry around her heart.

She felt the slight shift of Mothra landing and, wondering where they’d gone, finally sat back up. The volcano was still in sight on her right, though a decent distance away. They were at the shore, she realized.

The same shore that Godzilla had shown up to only an hour or so ago. Maddie twisted to her left as Mothra moved her wings out of the way for her to slide to the ground. She did so automatically, trying not to gape at the sight of Godzilla lounging in the shallows.

A gentle rumble filled the air as he shifted his head closer.

“Hi,” Maddie said.

_“Hello, little one. Mothra has told me much about you, and what you did for us.”_

Shrugging shyly, she glanced at Mothra, who remained silent. “It wasn’t much, really.”

He hummed. _“Agree to disagree,”_ he said, something teasing and gentle in his voice despite how… _much_ he was. His burning eyes bore into her, and Maddie had never been as aware of how small she was as right then. Mothra simply didn’t have the same sort of presence. Godzilla continued, _“There are not many humans who can claim they don’t fear us, as you have proved of yourself, despite your past. But to care about us, and to care about what may be done to us—that is even rarer. For being both fearless and kind, I thank you.”_

Resisting the urge to bow or something, Maddie replied, “You’re welcome. I—I couldn’t have just stood there and let it happen. Even though it wasn’t really her choice,” she shared a knowing smile with Mothra, “Mothra was there for me during some of the worst moments of my life. I more than owed it to her to do _something._ I still do, considering everything she’s done for me since waking up.”

_“You owed me nothing,”_ she gently told Maddie. _“Not then, and certainly not now. Believe me, my child, I made my choices for very selfish reasons.”_

Godzilla chuckled. _“I wouldn’t call fondness ‘selfish.’”_

Maddie laughed as Mothra flicked a wing at him with a little huff.

_“Will you be safe?”_ Godzilla asked once she quieted. _“From the humans, I mean, for helping us.”_

“Yeah.” She nodded. “The main people who would’ve been a problem are either arrested or, uh. Dead. I don’t think any of the others would do anything without their leader.”

_“But there_ **_are_ ** _others?”_

“They’ll probably get caught sooner or later,” she reassured him. “And I doubt any of them will even now that I was involved.”

_“Still, you have put yourself in danger for our sake. It would only be right to offer you protection in return,”_ he said.

There was no change in the slight breeze. Nothing happened in the bay. Godzilla didn’t move. And yet, the ocean’s edge suddenly receded nearly to his head before rushing forward, almost gently, to surge up the shore. The cool water pooled around her ankles, soaking through her sneakers and the ends of her jeans.

Sounding exactly like the King he was, Godzilla said, _“May the waters of the earth recognize you as a friend of the old gods, and provide sanctuary and healing and aid as it is needed.”_

It reminded her of something Methuselah had said, though the exact wording he used was forgotten. And even though she didn’t feel any different—hadn’t then, either—the very air seemed to dance for a moment, full of a tension or anticipation that she couldn’t quite explain.

“Thank you,” she said, because that felt like the right response to a—blessing?—as solemn and great as that. Maddie didn’t even mind that her shoes and pants were wet.

The ocean settled back down as if it had never moved at all, returning to the quiet, slow lapping of waves upon the sand. If it weren’t for her squishy socks, Maddie might almost have thought she imagined it.

She considered asking what that meant, but—if it was literal, then it was somewhat self-explanatory, wasn’t it? How water could recognize a person, she didn’t know, but there was a lot about the Titans in general that was unknown.

Besides, it’d been a long few days, and she was feeling somewhat emotionally wrung out. Sleeping on Mothra while they traveled was all well and good, but she had never gotten a particularly deep rest.

Probably just part of trying to nap on the back of a flying Titan.

The point was, a long explanation would most likely go in one ear and out the other. If she really needed to, she could ask Mothra about it later.

Perhaps it showed, that the events upon the volcano were catching up to her. Godzilla rumble-laughed and, in a maneuver Maddie wasn’t quite able to follow, pushed himself to his feet. The ocean rushed to fill in the empty space. He gave a full-body shake.

Without Maddie having noticed, Mothra was suddenly nudging her from behind. _“I should bring you back soon,”_ she said. _“You need rest, and perhaps a few hugs.”_

“That actually sounds pretty nice,” she admitted, climbing onto Mothra’s back once again. She slumped forward in thought. What was the last time she’d been hugged by another person? Dad had hugged her after Jonah fell, but the shock from the situation had left her feeling just numb enough in that moment that she hadn’t properly enjoyed it.

To simply sink into someone’s arms, hearing their heartbeat beneath your head, and know that you were safe… the closest thing she’d felt to that in ages was when she first woke up with Mothra back in the temple.

Rather than immediately fly back to the volcano, Mothra climbed through the air until she was level with Godzilla’s head. They bumped foreheads, nuzzling each other gently, and Maddie could feel Mothra’s vibrating purr.

Feeling like an intruder, she looked away.

Not long after, Mothra sank downward and seemed to land at a slight angle. It took Maddie a moment to realize she was more or less perched in Godzilla’s raised hands, propped up against his chest as she let her wings droop out of the way.

Godzilla bowed his head right as Maddie tilted hers back, leaving her looking straight up into his warm eyes. He huffed—hard enough that she felt the faint breeze of his breath—then leaned down until the end of his snout hovered a mere foot away.

Maddie hesitated only a moment before raising her hands to his scales. And then, because it felt right, she shifted up onto her knees to press her forehead against him.

_“Be well, little one,”_ the King said when he finally pulled back. The turmoil in Maddie seemed to have calmed a bit, leaving her sleepy but not quite so worn thin. _“And until we meet again…”_

Mothra took off as his voice trailed away, and together, she and Maddie circled him as his spines slowly began to glow. With a sharp, short roar, Godzilla blasted his atomic breath into the sky. It felt like a farewell, a promise, a reminder.

Maddie grinned to herself as Mothra’s wings glowed in counterpoint, soft but just as beautiful. She was a friend of the ocean, the earth was her ally, and the Queen had promised protection.

Godzilla’s spines and Mothra’s wings shone blue—and now, so did Maddie’s eyes.

She threw her hands into the air, stretched up into the clouds, and whooped—like a farewell, an acknowledgement, a victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap! I was thinking back to when I first started this story in October of 2019 (!!!) and I had only two chapters planned, and now, despite the trouble it gave me, I’m very glad that I let y’all convince me to keep going with it. So thank you to everyone who encouraged me to continue! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


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